Derek Strahan

Aside from running the Lost New England blog, Derek Strahan is the author of two books: Lost Springfield, Massachusetts and New England Then and Now, along with being the host of the Western Mass History podcast. Derek is a graduate of Westfield State University, with degrees in English and Regional Planning, and he currently works as a land use and environment planner in Western Massachusetts. Derek also serves on the board of directors of the Springfield Preservation Trust, and he lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife Melissa and their two sons.

Center Street, Rutland Vermont (1)

June 2, 2015 by Derek Strahan

Looking east on Center Street from Merchants Row in Rutland, around 1904. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company collection.

Center Street in 2015:

This view of Center Street has seen plenty of changes over the years, but some of the original buildings are still there. The most obvious one is probably the Rutland Savings Bank building on the far right. It was built in the 1860s, but was substantially renovated in the 1950s. Most of its 19th century architectural detail was lost during this renovation, including the mansard roof, which was replaced with a fourth floor, and the pillared entrance, which was replaced with marble along the entire first floor of the building.

Across the street, several other 19th century buildings survive. The long, three story commercial blocks in the center date to the 1860s (left) and 1880s (right), and further up the hill is the red brick steeple of the 1872 First Baptist Church. However, none of the buildings in the left foreground of the first photo survive; these buildings were destroyed in a massive fire in February 1906, just a year or two after the photo was taken. The losses included the Bates House Hotel on the far left, which was replaced with the present-day building in 1907. The other two buildings on the left-hand side of the 2015 photo were also built in the immediate aftermath of the fire, in 1906-1907.

Dorr Drive, Rutland Vermont

June 1, 2015 by Derek Strahan

Looking west on Dorr Drive in Rutland, around 1900-1910. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company collection.

Dorr Drive in 2015:

This view of Dorr Drive was taken from the same spot as the ones in this post, just angled differently. Taken from in front of The Maples, the home of 19th century author Julia Caroline Dorr, the first scene shows a typical country road in early 20th century rural New England. The road is narrow and unpaved, and although automobiles existed during this time period, it is unlikely that many would have ventured this far into the Vermont countryside. Today, however, the rural road is now a fairly significant route in Rutland, and is one of the main ways to get to the College St. Joseph, which is just up the road.

The Maples, Rutland Vermont

June 1, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The Maples, the home of author Julia Caroline Dorr, on Dorr Drive in Rutland, around 1900-1910. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company collection.

The house in 2015:

This house on Dorr Road in Rutland was once the home of Julia Caroline Dorr, a 19th century American author known for both prose and poetry. She was born in South Carolina, but grew up in Vermont. Her husband was Seneca M. Dorr, a lawyer and politician originally from Vermont. The couple moved to Rutland in 1857, which was probably around the time this house, knwon as “The Maples,” was built. The Dorrs lived here for the rest of their lives; Seneca would practice law in Rutland and go on to serve as the President of the Vermont Senate, and Julia continued to publish her work. Seneca died in 1884, and Julia in 1913, so the first photo was almost certainly taken while she was still living there. Today, the house is still there, and although it no longer has the porch, it still retains much of its architectural detail. However, there is a substantial addition on the right-hand side of the house, which is now used as a church.

Elm Street, Westfield Mass

May 31, 2015 by Derek Strahan

Elm Street in Westfield, around 1892. Image from Picturesque Hampden (1892)

Elm Street in 2015:

When the first photo was taken, Westfield was a significant industrial center, with factories that made everything from buggy whips (hence the city’s nickname as the “Whip City”) to organs, and as a result the town had a fairly prosperous downtown. In the years since the first photo was taken, the town has become a city, most of the factories have closed, and much of the city’s commercial activity has left the downtown area. However, many of the historic commercial blocks from the 19th century survive today, and the city has been making an effort to revitalize the downtown area, including a complete renovation of the town green and the rotary that surrounds it, part of which can be seen here in the 2015 photo.

The most prominent building in both photos is the commercial block to the right, at the corner of Elm and Main Streets. Known as the Morrissey Block, it was built in 1842 as a boarding house, and by the time the first photo was taken it was operated as the Westfield House Hotel. After the hotel closed, the second floor was used as the Westfield District Court in the early part of the 20th century, and today the historic building is used for a variety of commercial and office spaces.

First Congregational Church, Westfield Mass

May 31, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The First Congregational Church and the old Town Hall in Westfield, around 1892. Image from Picturesque Hampden (1892)

The buildings in 2015:

The scene at the rotary in downtown Westfield is very different from over 120 years ago, but several historic buildings have survived, including the First Congregational Church and the Town Hall. The Town Hall in the foreground is actually the older of the two, having been built in 1837. It served a variety of roles since then, first as a town hall and later as a city hall, when Westfield was incorporated as a city in 1920. However, it was also used for high school classrooms from 1855 until around 1868, and later as a police station and district court. It was used as city hall until 1962, when the city offices were moved up Broad Street to the former State Normal School building. The building has seen some changes over the years, with the most obvious being the removal of the cupola, which happened in 1912. However, it otherwise retains much of its historic exterior appearance, and today it is used as offices for a mental health agency.

Beyond the old Town Hall is the First Congregational Church. The original church was established in 1679, with Edward Taylor serving as the town’s first pastor. He had first come to Westfield in 1671 and began serving as pastor before the church was formally established, and he would continue until his death in 1729 at the age of 87. However, today he is probably best known as one of the first American poets, although his works weren’t published until over 200 years after his death.

His original church building is long gone, and the one that stands on the site today was built in 1860. The original steeple was destroyed in a storm in 1886, and I’m not sure if the first photo was taken before or after that. It was published in 1892, but the photo itself could date to much earlier than that. According to the Massachusetts Historical Commission, “Several smaller steeples were in use until 1962 when a tall steeple was erected similar to the original one.” The steeple in the first photo doesn’t appear to be a “small steeple,” yet the present-day one also doesn’t bear much resemblance to the first one, so I’m not sure which one is shown in the first photo. In any case, though, otherwise the brick exterior of the church is well preserved, and it continues to be used by the same congregation that Edward Taylor began serving in 1671.

Green District School, Westfield Mass

May 30, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The Green District School in Westfield, at the corner of Washington and School Streets, probably around 1892. Image from Picturesque Hampden (1892)

The location in 2015:

The Green District School was a public school in Westfield, but for a time it was also used as the observation school of the Westfield Normal School, located directly across School Street and visible in the background in the first photo. Here, prospective teachers at the Normal School could get in-classroom experience analogous to present-day student teaching. The Normal School later built their own training school in 1900, on the spot of the old Normal School building. This building is still there today, in the background of the 2015 photo. The Green District School continued to be used as a public school long after its affiliation with the Normal School ended, but today the Westfield Police Department headquarters occupies the school’s former location.